“Does the attention of journalists annoy you? What topics don't you like to talk about?”

“I like their attention to my work, but excessive interest in private life hinders. I reserve the right not to answer questions about personal relationships and childhood.”

(from Rina's interview for the magazine ‘Start’)

Nikolai's left kick actually turned out to be strong - Yura appreciated it. How he appreciated, despite the deafening blow, and the situation: Rina was taken away, Nikolai rushed after her, and for some reason Vika remained.

Yura sat down, touched the broken cheekbone and gently moved his jaw. It doesn't seem to be broken. But the eye has already begun to swim.

“Here, attach it!” Vika said, sitting down in front of him and handing him a cold package wrapped in a towel. It turns out that she had already managed to run into the house and find something in the freezer. Yura silently applied a compress to his cheekbone and squeezed his eyes shut, and when he opened his eyes, he saw that he was alone in the yard. Somehow getting up, he headed into the house and almost collided on the porch with Vika, one who flew out to meet him.

“Hey, be quiet! You'll tear me down!”

She stopped abruptly and looked at him unhappy.

“Are you going far?”

“Home!”

“On foot?”

Vika looked away and bit her lip, confirming Yura's suspicion that she was acting on impulse rather than deliberately.

“I brought you here, and I'll take you back,” he said, blocking her passage. Vika adjusted the strap of her handbag on her shoulder with a trembling hand, and then returned to the house.

“What?” she exclaimed nervously when Yura, coming in after her, stopped in the kitchen doorway.

“Your boss punched me in the face. As promised.”

Vika, contrary to expectations, didn’t explode, didn’t shout something like ‘what do I have to do with it?’, but just silently turned away. Yura sighed heavily and sat down on a chair.

“Well, why did you do it?”

“What did I do?”

“What I got for.”

She looked up at him with tears boiling in her eyes.

“You shouldn't have left with him,” Yura scolded. “Stirlitz has never been so close to failure. Your boss would continue to believe that he cleaned me up for the cause.”

“Why didn't you say anything?!” all the same, Vika jumped up. “The jaw didn't work? So you could point a finger!”

“I'm not a sneak. You don't think well of me.”

“I don't think about you at all!”

“It's a pity,” Yura signed sincerely and applied a compress to his cheekbone again. “But even so, settling scores with a rival is a sneaky plan.”

“What do you know about it?!” Vika shouted, but stopped herself and, wiping her tears, grinned: “A rival…”

“Isn't it?” Yura was surprised. The glances that Nikolai cast at Rina, only a blind person would not notice.

“What do you know about it,” Vika repeated more quietly.

“Then tell me!”

“Why all of a sudden?! You'll make an article out of any misfortune! For the sake of a hype, you can even get into the mouth of a crocodile! You don't care about ethics and other people's feelings! Should I remind you where we met? It's a pity that I didn't hit you then! And how I wanted to!"

“You can punch me now,” Yura suggested. “For symmetry. Wishes must be fulfilled.”

Vika clenched her fists, as if fighting temptation, and then unclenched them and sank helplessly into an empty chair. Yura looked around the ‘orphaned’ kitchen without a hostess, where tension rang like a taut string, and sighed with regret. A couple of hours ago, it was noisy and fun here, everyone was fervently discussing the investigation plan. Rina, while preparing breakfast, moved around the kitchen with a soft smile - so cute, homely and her own in the board, not at all like the unattainable ‘star’ that Yura imagined her to be. He was so proud that he broke through all the barriers and took a record height - an interview with Rina! He would have known earlier that one day he would be visiting her…

Yura looked at the still silent Vika, and then got up and filled the kettle with water. Vika didn’t move even when a cup of tea was in front of her. Yura sighed again and went out into the yard.

Their purchases were still in the car. Most of all, they were sorry for the meat - juicy, fresh and tender - in the capital it is still necessary to look for such. Yura opened the trunk, but when he came to his senses, he grinned: a blow to the cheekbone, apparently, knocked the settings in his head, since he was worried about the fate of meat, and not Rina, who was taken away to unknown places. And Nikolai sped off in such an effect that he didn't crash on the way! He's a normal guy, even though at times he was a ‘martinet’. Maybe Yura himself would have behaved the same way, worrying about the safety of the girl he liked!

The call from Manya rang out at the moment when he was pulling purchases out of the trunk.

“Are you going to return the car?” sister pounced without greeting. Yura calmly replied that he would return it, but later.

“When later?! I'm going to miss Pencil’s lesson! How can I take a dog without a car?!”

“Manya, I'm far away,” Yura answered honestly, not wanting to get into arguments. “I'll explain everything later. By the way, do you need meat? Tender, fresh, market. I'll bring it.”

“What kind of meat?! Where the hell did they take you?”

“There, devil, where you sent me with your contract.”

A shrill barking was heard in the receiver: surely Shusha, frightened by Manya's exclamation, had again tarnished his reputation. Yura hurriedly said goodbye to his sister and turned off the sound on the phone.

The bruised side of his face hurt more and more, and he, gently touching the swollen cheekbone, for some reason thought not about Rina, but about Vika.

Seven years ago Yura graduated from journalism university and immediately got a job in a not particularly popular magazine. He considered his job temporary, because he dreamed of grand investigations, revelations and fame. And of course, he couldn't miss the scandal that stirred up the entire Internet. The wave, which was then picked up by journalists, was raised by one of the bloggers - perhaps for the sake of popularity, but the resonance was great.

One September evening, a head-on collision occurred on the capital's avenue: a car speeding along the oncoming lane crashed into a car driven by a girl. One of the passengers of the second car was killed, and the driver and her minor sister were seriously injured. The culprit of the accident turned out to be the son of a major official, but they tried to hang responsibility for what happened on the injured party. Yura remembered the photos that had spread across the Web, in which someone was dragging the wreckage of broken cars to another lane. But thanks to bloggers and journalists, a serious scandal broke out. It was only in the greedy thirst to get details that many forgot about simple ethics. And Yura, too. It was he who made his way to the medical center where the eldest of the sisters was lying, took pictures and published them. The popularity of the publication jumped sharply, the photos were stolen on the Internet, and Yura felt like a hero for a while. Then the public's interest in the scandal began to fall, other ‘hot’ topics arose, and the parties sort of came to an agreement. Yura tracked the topic for some time, but then he lost interest in it.

Thinking about that case now, he understood that it was unlikely that the parties had come to an agreement: one of the girls at that time was a minor, the other remained severely disabled, and their mother died. The culprit, it seems, was never punished - the case was hushed up. Very few people remembered about that case and Yura forgot. And Vika, it turns out, not only remembers that journalist, but also found out: every publication of Yura in that minor magazine was accompanied by his photo.

Returning to the house, Yura found Vika still in the same position. She never touched her tea. Yura squinted at her, opened the refrigerator and began to lay out the purchases, perfectly aware of the absurdity of his actions. Who needs these products now? It is unknown whether Rina will return. Nikolai has nothing else to do here either. Vika needs to be taken to the capital, although Yura himself wanted to go to the town whose coordinates Nikolai gave him. But you won't leave Vika sitting like this until she finally petrifies?

“Do you want me to call Nikolai and confirm that I leaked Rina?” he asked decisively.

“Why?” Vika finally reacted.

“Well, I already got it anyway. So that… What's the difference? And Stirlitz, maybe it will save you from failure. Suddenly there is hope?”

“What are you talking about?”

“About the fact that your boss is a blockhead, since he has not yet reciprocated such a beautiful girl like you…”

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

Vika suddenly laughed and held out:

“God, you're a fool if you think I'm in love with him. What stupidity!”

“Why stupidity? Nikolai is a prominent guy.”

“What does that have to do with it?” Vika grimaced in annoyance, pushed her chair noisily and stopped in front of Yura. He glanced at her long legs, which only walk on the world catwalks, but, catching Vika's grin, raised his eyebrows questioningly.

“What, do you like my legs?”

“Yes,” Yura answered honestly. “Why should I not l…”

“And that's why!” Vika answered sharply and suddenly lifted her blouse, exposing her stomach. Yura involuntarily recoiled, but not because he saw an ugly deep seam crossing a flat, unburned stomach, but from Vika's impulse. But she, of course, understood his reaction in her own way and smiled maliciously.

“Is it beautiful? You haven't seen my legs yet! There is such a ’beauty’ that you will run away, stuttering and swearing, to the devil!”

She straightened her clothes and sat down on the chair again. She didn't sit down, but collapsed, as if she instantly lost her strength. Yura gently pushed back his chair and sat down opposite Vika.

“What the hell kind of love is there? Any normal guy will run away if he sees this,” she said dully. “That's why I don't… fall in love either.”

“And that's you for nothing! The crazy one will run away,” Yura objected. “And it serves you right. Why do you need crazy people?”

“It's easy to reason,” Vika chuckled, paused, rocking in her chair, and then looked up at Yura with blue eyes: “I didn't leak Rina. On purpose - don’t leak.”

“Then how…” Yura began, but Vika interrupted him:

“But I turned in my boss. So I'm still a traitor.”

“Vika?”

But she stopped him with a gesture

“Do you remember the accident? Must remember! You also posted pictures of my sister from the medical center!”

“Vika, I admit, I'm... a bastard. There is no excuse for me.”

“So don't make excuses! We both… leak. My sister spent all these years in that center. It is expensive, but there she receives the necessary care, which neither I nor the nurse will provide, let alone an ordinary hospital! Where did I get the money for such an expensive center? That scumbag's dad paid off. He paid for both my treatment and Zhenya's maintenance for several years. But then, of course, the ‘tap’ was blocked. Only I was already on my feet at that moment, I began to work and earn good money. So I could pay for my sister's treatment myself. But about three weeks ago I was warned that the fee would double! And for me, this is unaffordable money! Nikolai paid me well, plus I worked as a translator, but even then there was very little left for life. My needs are small…”

“And you look like you take care of yourself in expensive salons and dress in boutiques,” Yura involuntarily burst out.

“My ‘boutiques’’ are markets,” Vika grinned. “I'm just getting a haircut at the barber shop! And I learned to do a manicure and dye my hair myself. This is my… outlet - to pick up clothes to look stylish in it.”

“So what's next with the medical center?” Yura asked, realizing that Vika, although she had taken the conversation aside, had not finished yet.

“What about it?” she sighed. “The fee was increased, and I was desperate. I didn't see a way out. But that same evening, an unknown man called me and said he knew about my problem and would help me solve it. He promised to negotiate with the center so that my fee would not be raised. But in exchange, he asked for a favor: to report on what cases Nikolai has taken on, where he goes, who he meets with and how his investigations are progressing. In fact, I was offered industrial espionage.”

“And if you talked to Nikolai? He seems like a normal guy! Could help somehow…”

“How? It is unlikely that he would have doubled my salary! And they threatened me that if I told him about the conversation, something bad would happen to Zhenya. Yes, my sister will never return to normal life - she doesn’t get up and understands little, but she remains my only family person!”

“That's why you agreed.”

“That's why I agreed. At first it was easy in terms of the task itself, but it was hard mentally. And then - on the contrary. Nikolai was assigned this strange task, but by that time I was already used to reporting on his trips, calls, and so on. Now I understand that the person I have never seen was waiting for this case. Because when he found out about our trip to the amusement park, he perked up and said that I needed to be active and help the chief with the investigation.”

“Did you also say that Nikolai was assigned to search for Rina?”

“Yes.”

“And how did your customer react?”

“Exactly,” Vika replied. “He expressed neither joy nor surprise.”

“It seems to me that the increase in payment at the center was actually a means to put pressure on you.”

“Now I think so too,” Vika admitted.

“Are you saying that you never found out who you were leaking the boss to? Isn't it this ubiquitous ‘spider’ Gennadiy Sergeevich.”

“I am familiar with Gennadiy Sergeevich. The voice of the person who was talking to me was of a different timbre.”

“Okay. Did you tell me about my blog too?” Yura asked with a sly smile, but Vika shook her head:

“I have nothing to do with your dismissal. As well as the fact that your page was blocked.”

“So it's Lebedev after all. Maybe your boss is right, and someone on his orders is really tracking me? Then… damn!” Yura touched his swollen cheekbone and smiled nervously.

“What?”

“Perhaps Nikolai is right, and I ‘leaked’ Rina. Without knowing it, of course. If I'm being tracked… Smartphones are not only assistants, but also traitors!”

Yura jumped up and walked around the kitchen, ruffling his thick hair. But he was already thinking that an interesting case was emerging in which new defendants had emerged. Someone gave Vika a task to follow Nikolai. And this unknown person was interested not so much in where Rina had disappeared, as in what the detective would get to. However, Rina also clearly had something to do with the main case of Nikolai. Yura's informant mentioned Tivastopol, near which an island that disappeared many years ago suddenly appeared. Coincidence or not, but Rina was giving a concert there at about the same time: Yura checked. Usually, the performances of a singer of such a level as Rina took place in large cities. Why did the choice fall on a provincial town, in which there is no concert hall? The guess seemed so strange that Yura was afraid to voice it out loud.

“Let's go!” he commanded Vika, who was silently watching him.

“Where to? To Moscow?”

“No. To a town fifty kilometers away. Let's see how things are there.”

Vika got up, took the bag with her purchases and said she would be ready in five minutes. This was enough time for Yura to look through the printouts left on the table.

Vika returned in wide black jeans and a black T-shirt with a bright yellow, matching the color of her hair, applique. And on her feet were no longer shoes, but moccasins bought at the market. Yura was speechless for a split second: this girl really has a talent to look in market clothes, like in couture clothes.

“What?” Vika was suddenly confused.

“Good... looking,” And before she could say anything, he added in a deliberately stern tone: “Don't take your mobile with you. I'll leave mine here too.”

“Then immediately hide it in the fridge!” Vika teased him, but without a grin.

They got to the place quickly. Yura decided to park the car at a poultry farm on the outskirts and continue walking.

It was a weekday, there were so many cars on the gravel patch that replaced the parking lot that it was barely possible to find a free place. Yura opened the door, and the characteristic stench of droppings and meat waste immediately poured into the salon.

“Fragrant, not an abnormal zone,” Vika jokes, getting out.

On the territory of the factory there was life or, as Yura said, movement: behind the mesh fence, women in dressing gowns and headscarves were scurrying back and forth, at a distance, waving a plump hand, a pot-bellied man was temperamentally proving something to a thin and bald man. A dirty dog, obviously lured by employees, was combing fleas in the shade. No one paid attention to Yura and Vika, while they noticed any details: a cloud had crept into the sky - was it a ‘harbinger’ of an abnormal phenomenon? Is the tweet audible? Are there dead birds lying on the dusty road? Did the foliage freeze because the wind suddenly stopped? And is reality saturated with colors?

But everything remained normal: sparrows jumped on the side of the road, a crow cawed, a dog, seeing a factory worker with a bowl in her hands, jumped up and happily wagged his tail, a stout man continued to scold the puny one. The sun shone like summer in the sky, and the wind carried the factory stench around the neighborhood. Yura and Vika silently reached the village, but even there life was in full swing. Dogs were barking in the courtyards, housewives were hanging laundry, and a bunch of kids raced by on bicycles. Even in the store where Yura offered to go, nothing aroused suspicion: the saleswoman unhurriedly released the goods and lazily discussed some Petrova with the customer. Yura bought some water, and he and Vika went outside.

“Nothing, Yura. It looks like we came here for nothing.”

“But this village is on your boss's list! And Gennadiy Sergeevich also pointed to him. So there really is something here, but we haven't seen it yet. I think we should talk to the locals.”

“Let's walk to the river first.”

“I hope you, unlike Rina, can swim,” Yura smiles.

“What, you don't want to repeat the feat of my boss?” Vika faked it.

“For the sake of your salvation – easily!”

“For the sake of my salvation or for the sake of sensation?” She narrowed her eyes.

“For the sake of sensation - it's in the mouth of a crocodile. And for the sake of saving a beautiful young lady - into the river to the monsters. Your boss has demonstrated a win-win way to interest a girl. God level pickup truck!”

“This method has too many side effects!” Vika snorted and became sad. Apparently, she remembered that the relationship with the boss was destroyed and, most likely, now she is unemployed.

“Don't worry,” Yura whispered. “We'll figure something out.”

Vika shook her head, disagreeing with him, and pointed with her hand to a strip that was visible in the distance, glistening in the sun:

“I think we're here.”

On the river, too, everything turned out to be calm and normal: the wind rustled in the reeds, the day remained clear and bright, water skimmers were accelerating on thin legs on the water surface, a bass croaking could be heard from the backwater – peace and grace! No tornadoes, funnels and black-and-white scales for them.

“Empty!” Vika commented when they walked along the shore for quite a long way. “Let's go back.”

“Maybe today is not the day. Or the wrong hour,” Yura began to reason. “You were in the park too, but you didn't see what I saw.”

“Listen!” Vika exclaimed. “Anomalies are similar, but, at the same time, different. The rides were moving in the park, and everything turned black and white. And on the river Nikolai and Rina saw a tornado, falling birds, a funnel and some creatures.”

“There are some creatures in the park too. Someone pulled me off the fence! Anomalies are different because locations dictate different ‘scenarios’. At the village river - one thing, at the amusement park - another.”

“Yes. Perhaps.”

They walked in silence for a while, until Vika looked back and asked:

“What time is it? I think we've been walking too long.”

“Half past one,” Yura replied, glancing at his wristwatch. “We couldn't get lost because we didn't turn anywhere. There will be a road soon!”

“And now?” Vika asked after a while.

“Half past one,” Yura repeated and stopped. “You asked about five minutes ago…”

“And that's what I mean!”

“Has the clock stopped?” He raised his wrist to his ear. “No, they're ticking. Broke or?..”

“Or!” Vika replied weightily. “We didn't go so far from the road and should have been back a long time ago. And we are passing by that bush for the third time! I remember it because there's a shoe lying under it.”

“Wait a minute…”

“We're going in circles, Yura. We are not going along the river, as it seems to us, but in a circle!”

“Damn…”

“Well, we got into an abnormal zone,” Vika grinned. “But how to get out of it now? And preferably today, not ten years later.”